When first responders are confronted with scenarios as horrific as the Littleton school shooting, it's inevitable that many will be left with deep psychological wounds. Since it is unlikely that Littleton will be the last such incident, it is essential that agencies conduct pre-trauma training to help responders recover faster and more fully after a worst-case scenario.

Yesterday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a report that synthetic marijuana is believed to have sickened 221 people in Colorado during a month-long outbreak in August of this year. While no one died from this outbreak, this report is very troubling.

Why are people still using synthetic marijuana—which is ILLEGAL—when Colorado just LEGALIZED real marijuana?

By Vincent Giordano
This year’s election was a contentious one. No matter who you might have supported for President, it is clear that most of us ignored the fact that two states (Colorado and Washington) had ballot initiatives to legalize the use of small amounts of marijuana for recreational purposes, and Massachusetts voters overwhelmingly voted in favor of legalized medical marijuana. Many have cited fears that medical marijuana is nothing but a spring board for the total legalization of marijuana, but until the 2012 election, total legalization of marijuana had not come to pass. What does this legislation mean for the law enforcement community?

More than a week after the Aurora, Colorado theater shooting, questions are still being raised about what measures were in place to prevent such an incident and what, if anything, could have possibly made a difference in the outcome. To some, this may seem like hindsight and speculation, however, as with all incidents of this type, review, discussion, and (if needed) change, are critical.

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